Patent GB-795738-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to bulk material truck
IPC: B60P1/60
Filed: 1955-09-06
Abstract: 795,738. Pneumatic conveyers on vehicles. SPROUT, WALDRON & CO., Inc. Sept. 6, 1955 [Sept. 7, 1954], No. 25516/55. Classes 78 (1) and 78 (4). A vaned rotor 64 (Fig. 5) receives material delivered by a conveyer 105 from a bin on a vehicle and delivers the ma. terial to be entrained in a stream of air entering a casing 52 around the rotor by a pipe 51 (Fig. 2) and leaving the casing by a pipe 58. In the construction illustrated the rotor 64 also serves in loading the vehicle pneumatically. For this purpose the suction side of the blower 30 (Fig. 1) can be connected through a butterfly valve 160 and piping 155 to a cylinder 153 (Fig. 2) which serves to exhaust a settling chamber 135 into which a stream of air carrying the material is led tangentially by a pipe 145 so that the material settles and falls on to the rotor 64 as shown in Fig. 5. From there it is blown through the pipe 58 and a flexible pipe 265 (Fig. 2) to a pipe 250 leading to a flexible pipe 252, Fig. 1, which can be connected by a valve 255 to deliver material either to a bin 26c on the vehicle or to a further length of pipe 256. Further valves 255a, 255b, permit the material to be delivered to any of three further bins 26b, 26a, 26 and the valves 255 ... 255b are controlled from the rear of the vehicle by cables 300 (Fig. 2). Air is allowed to escape from the bins 26 ... 26c through a trunk 270 exhausting through an air filter 272. The trunk 270 is selectively connected to the bins 26 ... 26c by valves 275, Fig. 14, the slides 292 of which are moved conjointly with the valves 255 which control admission of material. Each of the latter valves comprises a slide 284 which may be moved to place a flexible pipe 252 in register either with the pipe 256 leading to the next bin or with a baffle 285 deflecting the stream of air and material into the bin. When the vehicle is to be unloaded pneumatically the outlet pipe 58 from the rotor 64 is connected to a delivery pipe and the device 64 is fed by an endless conveyer 105 (Fig. 5) moving over a floor 110 in the vehicle and fed from the bins through doors 190, 192 (Fig. 11) which hinge downwardly as indicated by the arrows. Normally the inner doors 190, which can be raised by pulling on a cable 230, rest against the adjacent edges of the doors 192 which are held closed by cables 221, 226 connected to pulleys 217 mounted on an eccentric operated by a handle 214 so that the pulleys can be placed in the over-centre position illustrated to lock the doors. The drives to the driving roller 107 (Fig. 5) of the conveyer 105 and to the rotor 64 are connected through chain-andsprocket wheels to a speed reducing gear 80 (Fig. 1) driven through shafting 73, including universal joints 74, from a pulley on the blower 30 which may be driven from the engine of the vehicle or from a separate engine. A clutch controlling the drive to the conveyer can be disengaged by operation of the handle 130 (Fig. 2) and the drive to the paddle wheel 64 is through a clutch which slips should the paddle wheel jam. The delivery from the conveyer 105 is controlled by a gate 165 (Fig. 5) terminating in a flexible portion 166. Delivery may be effected directly from the conveyer 105 when a door 100 is opened and a door 101 disposed to cut off the rotor 64. Lengths of hose are stored in a compartment 350 (Fig. 11).